Get Your Best Complexion Ever with These Clay Masks

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Aromatherapy Associates Rose Pink Clay Mask, beauty, Bentonite, bilberry, body, clay, complexion, Decleor Rosemary Black Clay Mask, detoxify, environmental impurities, excess oil, face, hair, impurities, kaolin, lavender, lemon, mask, masks, Medik8 Natural Clay Mask, natural origin, orange, pink, purify, REN Clean Skincare Clarimatte Invisible Pores Detox Mask, sebum, skin, skincare, spirulina, sugar cane, This Works Evening Detox Clay Mask

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A clay mask is without a doubt one of the best ways to help refine and rebalance your skin, regardless of whether it is dull, congested, or oily. Clay masks are beneficial for a wide range of skin conditions and types. They can brighten your skin, absorb toxins and excess oils, hydrate, prevent breakouts, restore the skin’s balance, and regulate sebum production, among other things. It’s a great product to have on hand for a quick fix or a weekly routine, regardless of your skin type. However, since not all clay masks are created equal, it is essential to select a formulation that meets your requirements. Here’s our pick of our best clay masks:

Aromatherapy Associates Rose Pink Clay Mask

This mask from Aromatherapy Associates is made from French pink clay which is rich in minerals and has a restorative and nourishing effect on your  hair, face and body. It’s combined with hydrating sweet almond oil and shea butter, to enrich and uplift the senses while giving your chosen treatment area a deeply conditioning treat. The product is made from entirely vegan ingredients and contains no SLS, giving you the confidence that you’re using something which is 100% beneficial. 

Decleor Rosemary Black Clay Mask

From pink clay to black clay! This mask from Decleor is a 98% natural origin clay face mask enriched with rosemary essential oil, salicylic acid and black clay to reduce imperfections and purify the skin with no dehydrating effects. Use it just once or twice a week for ten minutes at a time and your skin will feel cleaner, have fewer blackheads and sebum will be more balanced. Perfect for teenage or hormonal skin which is prone to blemishes. 

Medik8 Natural Clay Mask

This mask from Medik8 is made from bentonite and kaolin clay and will gently detox the skin to promote a clear, radiant complexion. Unlike many other clay masks which feel heavy on the skin and difficult to apply, this mask has a whipped consistency which feels light, refreshing and easy to use. As well as a blend of clays, this mask contains extracts of cranberry to enhance skin texture and luminosity, while vitamin E locks in moisture for optimal hydration. 

This Works Evening Detox Clay Mask

If you work or live in a busy town or city, then you’re probably aware of the havoc that daily pollution can play with your complexion. This mask from This Works is created using detoxifying malachite and kaolin clay – the kaolin  absorbs excess oil and environmental impurities to purify the skin while malachite helps to detoxify and protect against environmental aggressors and pollution. Finally, the mask contains a blend of five natural botanicals including bilberry, sugar cane, orange and lemon which rapidly exfoliate by increasing cell turnover. 

REN Clean Skincare Clarimatte Invisible Pores Detox Mask

One of the main benefits of using clay to create masks is that it absorbs the excess sebum from your skin – perfect if you suffer from an oil imbalance. This detox mask from REN Clean Skincare is a thick clay mask for combination skin, that works to minimise the appearance of pores, removing excess sebum and fighting congestion, without drying the skin out. As well as kaolin clay, the formula offers spirulina extract which is deeply nourishing for the skin and lavender oil to help refresh your complexion. 

Vaping and The Effects on Your Skin

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acne, ageing, antioxidant, balanced, chemicals, cleanser, cream, daily routine, dangers, dark spots, day, discolouration, dry, dry skin, drying, dryness, e-cigarette, enlarged, exfoliator, flaky, hydrated, hydration, hyperpigmentation, inhaling, irritation, itchy, nicotine, oily skin, oxygen, patchy, pores, rashes, resurfacing, sagging, sebum, sensitive, sensitivity, skin, smoking, soothing, supple, texture, toxins, uneven, Vape, vaping, vapour, wrinkling

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Vaping is something which has gained HUGE popularity the world over in the last decade. When e-cigs first came along, we were all assured that they were far safer than cigarettes and the health benefits of making the switch would be numerous. Now that we’re a few years down the line and more research has been done, we’re now aware that vaping presents its own dangers, not least of all to your skin. Here’s an overview of some of the negative effects of vaping on the skin and what you can do to reverse them:

E-Liquids Contain Toxins Which Can Damage The Skin

Exposure to the chemicals from e-cigarettes are twofold – as well as inhaling chemicals which can be harmful to your skin, you also create a cloud of vapour when you exhale, which also enrobes your skin in chemicals. The best way to stop the effects on your skin is to stop vaping altogether, but adding a potent exfoliator such as Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleanser can also help to remove toxins and reverse some of the damage. 

It Makes Your Skin Dry

One of the ways that smoking ages the skin is by depriving it of oxygen and drying it out, and that can also be said for vaping. Every time you take a puff of a vape, you’re drying your skin out and exacerbating dry skin. Ironically, for some people, this can then lead to OILY skin, as your natural sebum production will ramp up to overcompensate. We recommend Elemis Hydra-Balance Day Cream, which is an ultra-light, antioxidant rich day cream that provides continuous hydration, to leave skin feeling perfectly hydrated, balanced and supple.

It Can Make Acne and Redness Worse

Vaping contains lots of chemicals and nicotine which come in contact with our skin. This may cause the skin to become dry or flaky. It can also aggravate those with naturally dry skin by making it patchy and sometimes itchy. The chemicals in e-cigarettes can also cause skin sensitivity and irritation which can lead to rashes and even acne. To combat these effects, we’d recommend adding Elemis Sensitive Soothing Milk to your daily routine, as it is infused with red sage and aloe vera, whilst bisabolol complex helps to protect against visible daily aggressors that might cause irritation. 

It Accelerates the Signs of Ageing

Despite being touted as “better than smoking” for our health, vaping is still incredibly damaging when it comes to the signs of ageing, as it deprives our skin of nutrients. This will lead to premature ageing in the form of dryness, enlarged pores, sagging, wrinkling, hyperpigmentation, and uneven texture. Using Aromatherapy Associates Anti-Ageing Overnight Repair Mask will help to smooth out lines and firm the skin, treating you to an overnight facial. 

It Can Cause Dark Spots

We all know that smoking can cause discolouration to the skin, but it’s also possible to suffer from hyperpigmentation, thanks to vaping. The nicotine in cigarettes is often what contributes to dark spots, and nicotine is still usually present in e-cigarettes too. Murad Correct and Protect Serum SPF45 is a satiny-smooth serum with 100% mineral SPF that’s tested and scientifically proven to visibly correct discolouration and prevent future hyperpigmentation, making it the perfect product for vapers and smokers. 

Starting College? These Products Will Give Your Teen Skin a Boost

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A-levels, AHI, antimicrobial, antioxidant, apple fruit, apprenticeship, bacteria, BHA, blackhead, blackheads, clarifying, clear skin, college, cowling clay, decongest, exams, excess oil, extractions, extracts, face mask, GCSEs, gel serum, Glycerin, glycolic acid, hormones, hydroxydecanoic, impurities, Lactic Acid, lysophosphatidic, mandelic acid, mango Steen, masks, oiliness, paws, poor refining, purify, radiant, raspberry, redness, results, Salicylic Acid, school, sebacic, sebum, serum, shine, sixth form, skin, skin care, skin issues, smoothness, soothing, spots, spots prone skin, sulphur, teenage, texture, university, visible paws

Photo by Max Fischer

With A-Level results out already and the impending GCSE results coming out next week, there are going to be a LOT of 16-18 year olds thinking about the next stage of their education, here in the UK. Whether you’re off to a new college, going into sixth form, embarking on a degree or even starting a work-based apprenticeship, we’re guessing that you want to put your best foot forward. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of the best skincare for teen skin so that your face will be the last thing you need to worry about when starting your next adventure:

Dermalogica Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask

This clay-based cleansing mask has an active fizzing formula which activates upon application helping to open pores, decongest skin and facilitate blackhead extractions. The clay absorbs excess oil and purifies the skin whilst apple fruit helps to hydrate the skin. It also contains sulphur, which provides anti-microbial benefits to help clear skin, making it the perfect way to cleanse and clear teenage skin. 

Medik8 Surface Radiance Cleanse

While this product isn’t specifically for teen skin, it has properties which make it perfect for fighting several typically teen issues. It contains an exfoliating AHA/BHA complex of mandelic, lactic and salicylic acid as well as glycerin for a pore refining, deep cleanse. It’s infused with mangosteen and raspberry extracts to provide natural antioxidant protection and increase skin barrier function and thoroughly removes impurities to decongest the skin.

Skin Republic Spots and Blemish Mask

As you’ll know if you come here often, we at Pure Beauty love masks for their enhanced efficacy when it comes to reversing certain skin problems, and this one from Skin Republic is every teen’s best friend. Ideal for spot-prone skin, this calming face mask will reduce shine and redness, as well as tighten pores and eliminate spots without drying out the skin. With anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties, this effective mask will help keep skin clear and radiant.

Elemis Clarifying Serum

Teen skin is prone to spots, due to a combination of hormones and sebum production, but it’s also quite common for teenage skin to be sensitive and reactive, causing redness and worsening breakouts. Elemis Clarifying Serum is a lightweight, soothing serum clinically proven to reduce the appearance of blemishes, visible pores and blackheads in just 2 weeks. Skin is left looking calmer, clearer, more even with improved texture and smoothness.

Murad Outsmart Blemish Clarifying Treatment

Getting rid of stubborn blemishes takes dedicated products such as this clarifying treatment from Murad. It is a medicated lightweight gel serum that is clinically proven to reduce overall blemishes in just 1 week. Salicylic acid combines with lysophosphatidic, hydroxydecanoic, sebacic and glycolic acids in Penta-Acid Technology to clear skin of blemish-causing bacteria, oiliness and blackheads while minimising dryness and irritation, giving you the confidence to go back to school with clear skin. 

Reboot Your Routine for 2020

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anti ageing, broad spectrum, cleanse, compleion, complimentary, daily, dirt, double cleanse, excess, grime, lightweight, make-up, oil, production, products, protection, reboot, routine, sebum, skin, skin kit, SPF, sun

Photo by Kim Carpenter on Unsplash

When it comes to a beauty routine, it’s really easy to get stuck in a rut. You’ve invested in products and you want to make the most of them so you stick with them steadfastly, even if they’re not the best thing for your skin. Rebooting your beauty routine means taking a look at what your skin needs in the here and now, rather than what it needed when you bought the product that you’re currently using, and gives you a chance to assess what would be best for your complexion. Here are five ways in which you can can you reboot your routine and give your skin a much-needed boost.

Keep it Simple

Something we see quite often is people building a beauty routine and adding in more products as they go along, so that by the time they decide to reboot they’re using far more products than they really need to. Stripping back your routine and looking at the basics of what your skin really needs will help you to form a baseline which you can add to if you really need to to or just stick to a cleanse, tone and moisturise routine if that’s what’s working for you.

Think About the Here and Now

As we said in our introduction, rebooting your routine is very much about what your skin needs right now. Skincare needs change throughout the year; you may have invested in your current routine at a time where your skin was super dry whereas now you’re dealing with excess sebum production or a time when breakout to a problem when now anti-ageing properties are more of a concern. Keeping your skin care air current is one of the most important things that you can do for your skin.

SPF is Non-Negotiable

If you asked us what the single most important product in a daily skin routine is, you may be surprised to hear the answer always will be SPF. Even with our relatively weak English sun, protecting your skin from its harmful rays is the most important thing you can do on a daily basis, even above and beyond the cleanse, tone and moisturise routine. Invest in a sun cream which is both lightweight and broad spectrum, and make sure you use it every single day even when it’s grey and rainy outside.

Use Complimentary Products

While we would never suggest that skincare only works if you use every product from the same range, you do often find that products from the same range are formulated to work well together. If you find the product which works well for your skin and there are other product which compliment it, there’s a good chance that these will work well for your skin too. Pure Beauty offers several different skin kits which contain miniatures of full-sized products, which allow you to try a range of of beauty treatments before you invest in the larger version.

Ditch the Wipes

We know how simple it is to reach for a packet of face wipes, at the end of a long day, especially when the last thing you want to do is take your makeup off instead of sinking into bed a couple of minutes earlier. However, aside from the fact that face wipes are doing horrendous amounts of damage to the planet, they’re also not that great for your skin either. Using a face wipe basically allows you to transfer the makeup and grime around your face, and doesn’t really cleanse your complexion very well at all. Instead we would suggest opting for the double cleanse, using an oil or balm to melt away makeup and grime, followed by a gel mousse or cream for a deep cleanse. This is especially important if you wear heavy makeup up and a daily SPF as it will help to lessen the risk of breakouts.

How to Handle Combination Skin

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acids, acne scarring, balance, bioenergy complex, cleanse, combination, control, copper, decleor, dehydrate, dehydrated, dry, dryness, Elemis, encapsulated, excess, fine lines, fresh, harness, hydrate, hydrated, irritation, Jan Marini, large pores, lime blossom, natural moisturising factor, oil, oiliness, oily, patent-pending, rebalance, redness, rosacea, sebum, skin, soothe, surface oils, uneven texture, vitamin A, wrinkles, zinc

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We all know how difficult it can be to deal with skin issues such as dry skin, oily skin or aging skin. However, dealing with combination skin often means that you’re dealing with two or more of these problems at once, which can make skin care all the more difficult. Combination skin requires targeted products and sometimes more than one product in different areas of your face so that you can adequately deal with all of the issues at once. With that in mind, we’ve curated a list of products which are perfect for combination skin and should help you to bring all your issues into line.

Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser

Cleansing combination skin can be particularly difficult because you have areas of dryness where flaky skin is an issue, as well as oily areas which need something a bit more potent to help control sebum overproduction. This cleanser from Elemis balances the skin by deep cleansing it, removing the build up of daily pollutants and getting rid of makeup. It contains extracts of lime blossom and vitamin A which will soothe your skin and helps to rid you of excess surface oil.

Decleor Ylang Ylang Purifying Night Balm

Often combination skin mains that your skin has an all over dryness problem, but will over-produce sebum in some areas to overcompensate, while other areas remain dry. This night balm from decleor is made from 100% natural ingredients and has a melt-in texture which will care for combination and oily skin. It’s a balancing product which will reduce inflammation, cure underlying dryness and prevent the skin from producing too much oil. You’ll wake-up with cleaner healthier and more radiant skin.

Elemis Hydra Balance Day Cream – Normal/Combination

Combination skin usually benefits from all-day moisturisation, which is why you need a product like this cream from Elemis. It’s an ultralight cream which provides hydration all day long and works with the skin’s natural moisturising factor to help maintain a balanced moisture level. It improves the texture of the skin, balances dryness, oiliness and soothes irritation.

Jan Marini Bioglycolic Bioclear Cream

This cream from Jan Marini combines glycolic acid, salicylic acid and azelaic acid to provide a dramatically smoother, clearer, more luminous complexion. It’s perfect for combination and dry skin and will help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while also dealing with redness, acne scarring, large pores and uneven texture. It’s also great for skin which suffers from acne, hyperpigmentation and rosacea and gives the skin a deep wash of moisture, which will balance dryness and redness.

Elemis Biotec Skin Energising Day Cream – Combination

This highly-scientific formula from Elemis harnesses patent-pending Bioenergy Complex, which is made up of encapsulated zinc and copper. It contains a trio of acids which help support combination skin for optimum skin function. It contains ingredients such as cold pressed desert date oil, which will balance the skin, control excess sebum while smoothing and hydrating the complexion, leaving it fresh and shine free. It can be used every morning and should be applied to cleansed skin.